The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have collaborated to boost cassava production through the Technologies for African Agriculture Transformation (TAAT) funded program.
The partnership with the support of Taraba State government inaugurate the cassava compact—a component of the TAAT, trained 60 extension agents drawn from different local government areas in the state, and validate sites for the establishment of cassava demonstration plots in the state.
Nteranya Sanginga, director general, IITA said the inauguration of the cassava compact in Taraba state would open up opportunities for scaling new innovations for cassava grower in the state and the entire north east region of the country.
Sanginga, who was represented by Godwin Atser, communication &knowledge exchange expert, IITA said the transformation of cassava in Taraba state offers tremendous opportunities in food security and job creation in Nigeria.
“We hope that this program will contribute to reducing the food import bill to Africa of about $35bn per year,” Sanginga said.
The move to invest more in north east Nigeria comes at a time when IITA received the 2018 Africa Food Prize for its efforts in transforming agriculture on the continent.
Darius Ishaku, Governor of Taraba State commended IITA and AfDB for selecting the state as part of the TAAT-cassava compact program, adding that the program would amplify the efforts of the state government in cassava transformation and revitalise agricultural activities in Taraba.
“While we remain grateful to AfDB and IITA for the kind gesture and honour done to the state, I wish to also pledge that Taraba State Government will do its best to ensure the success of the program in the state,” Governor Ishaku, who was represented by Anthony Jellason, secretary to the State Government said.
He expressed optimism that the TAAT-cassava compact program would turn around the economic fortunes of the state and that of cassava growers in particular.
The Governor noted that the TAAT program was of utmost importance to the state in view of its vast arable land and the importance which cassava plays to the livelihoods of millions of farmers in the state.
He commended IITA for the TME 419 (improved cassava variety) which the state procured through the village seed entrepreneurs of the Cassava Seeds systems project (also known as Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Seed System for Cassava (BASICS)).
Josephine Okojie
